Green spaces near Holt and Corpusty Sure Start Centre
Access: Walkable site (5 min walk from Holt high st)
Who owns it: Holt Town Council
What it’s famous for: A hidden gem just a short walk from Holt High Street.
Great for these visitors: Great for families as it is close to all the facilities in the centre of town. Lots of space for running around, playing games and having a picnic.
Opening times and cost: Open at all times free of charge.
Facilities/visitor info: There are no facilities at the site but it is very close to the centre of Holt which has public toilets and a wide variety of shops.
Address and how to get there: Obelisk Plain, Holt NR25 6BL. Spout Hills can be reached by foot from the Norwich/Fakenham Road end of the High Street. Pass King’s and Burnham's electrical shop on your right and, as you bear round the bend out onto the High Street and on to the Norwich/Fakenham road, cross the road and proceed into a parking area opposite with a row of cottages gable-end to the road. Continue straight, keeping the cottages on your right, and Spout Hills will open up before you. It is about a 5 min walk from Holt Hgh Street. Access to the Hills can also be gained from the Letheringsett Road, near the Old Rectory, or from the disused railway line.
Key activities: Play pooh sticks on the bridge.
Key species at this site:
Access: walkable site (approx. a 20-25 min walk from Holt High Street)
Who owns it: North Norfolk District Council
What it’s famous for: Awarded the Green Flag which is a scheme that recognised and rewards the very best green spaces.
Great for these visitors: Families, walkers, dogs also welcome in the park
Cost: Free to enter. The car park costs £2 per day.
Facilities/visitor info: Visitor centre, toilets, children’s play area, car parking. There is a picnic area with tables. Please note that open fires and BBQs are not permitted. There are various colour coded woodland walks which take you all around the Park; there is also an easy access trail suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. It is helpful to have a map of these, which you can pick up from the visitors centre or download online.
Address and how to get there: Holt Country Park, Holt, Norfolk. By foot: Holt Country Park is walkable from Holt. From the High Street walk out of the town along Station Road then on to Hempstead Road via the underpass. There are a number of path ways into the park off of Hempstead Road. By car: it is a short drive to the pay and display car park off of Edgefield Hill Road.
Key activities: Enjoy one of the colour coded woodland walks. Follow the sculpture trail.
What to take: If it’s been raining, don’t forget wellies or walking boots as some of the paths can become muddy.
Access: Accessible by car and public transport
Who owns it: Norfolk Wildlife Trust
What it’s famous for: Its amazing bird life.
Great for these visitors: Bird watchers, naturalists, families
Opening times and cost: Entry to the hides for adults is £4.50 (£5 with gift aid). Children go free. Visitor centre is free, open 10am - 5pm from 1 March to 28 October 2018. The rest of the year it closes at 4pm. Please note the café closes half an hour before the centre.
Facilities/visitor info: Visitor centre with information, café, shop, toilets. Sorry, no dogs on the reserve.
Address and how to get there: Cley Marshes Visitor Centre, NR25 7SA. by car: Cley is only a short 10-15min drive from Holt, follow the Cley road out of Holt up to Salthouse then take the A149 coast road. Postcode for SatNav; NR25 7SA
By bus: The Coasthopper bus service stops just outside the nature reserve. From Holt it is approximately just over 1 hour travel time with two bus journeys. Take the no.44 to Sheringham from the Railway Tavern, get off at Sheringham. Then get the CH4 Coasthopper bus towards Wells-next-the-Sea. Alternatively catch the 46 towards Binham and get off at Cley village then walk for 15min along the coast road. This route does involve walking along a very busy road.
Key activities: There are boardwalks that allow you to walk around the reed beds, along with bird hideswhere you can sit down and watch the amazing birds that make Cley their home.
It is well worth driving or walking down to the beach where you can have a paddle in the sea.
For £1.50 (+£10 refunded deposit) you can hire a bumbag from the visitor centre containing equipment, such as magnifying glasses and spotter sheets, to help you explore the wildlife of the reserve.
Access: Accessible by car, a 15 minute drive from Holt.
Who owns it: Norfolk Wildlife Trust
What it’s famous for: Thursford is accident woodland and it is thought that some of the oak trees in Thursford could be more than 500 years old!
Opening times and cost: Free. Sorry, no dogs on the reserve. Open dawn till dusk, every day, all year round. Entrance is from the car park. Caution – traffic is fast on this stretch of road.
Facilities/visitor info: There are no facilities on site so take food and water as required.
Address and how to get there: Address NR21 0BB. By car: approx. a 15min drive from Holt. Take the A148 towards Fakenham, the wood is before you cross the river Stiffkey. Postcode for SatNav: NR21 0BB
Key activities: Go to see the bluebells during spring. Go on a fungi foray in the autumn and see how many different species you can spot.
Key species at this site:
Access: Accessible by car, a 5 minute drive from Holt
Who owns it: Letheringsett PCC
What it’s famous for: Letheringsett church is a beautiful local church with a striking round tower.
During the 1980s and 1990s it was recognised for the large population of meadow saxifrage (Saxifrage granulate) plants found throughout the churchyard (over 2,000 individuals were recorded) and was specifically managed for many years to encourage the growth of this plant. Unfortunately over time the churchyard management changed and the number of meadow saxifrage plants dwindled. As of 2016 St. Andrew’s church became part of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Churchyard Conservation Scheme and the church has adopted a mowing regime in the churchyard o try and increase the number of meadow saxifrage and other wildflowers present.
Opening times and cost: Free
Facilities/visitor info: There are no facilities at the church, but there are public toilets near Letheringsett Watermill and a local pub in the village which serves food.
Address and how to get there: Church Lane, Letheringsett, NR25 7YA. By car: Less that a 5min drive from Holt High st. Turn off the Holt High Street, A148, onto Church Lane. Post code NR25 7YA
By bus: take the number 46 towards Wells-next-the-Sea, get off in Letheringsett.
Key activities: Do a colour hunt in the church grounds; see how many different colours of wildflowers you can find.
Key species at this site:
Access: Accessible by car and public transport
Who owns it: Parish Council
What it’s famous for: The old churchyard is large, full of 18th century gravestones, and with wildflowers including ox eye daisy, knapweed, germander speedwell, Ladys’ bedstraw and bulbous buttercup.
Opening times and cost: free
Facilities/visitor info: There is a large grassy area in front of the church for parking.
Address and how to get there: Cley Green, Cley-next-the-Sea, NR25 7TT. By Car: Just under a 10 min drive from Holt. Leave the town of Holt on Cley Road, bear left onto Holt Road, heading to Cley village. The church is on your right, by the village green. By bus: approximately a 20 minute bus journey. Take the 46 bus towards Hindringham from the Railway Tavern bus stop in Holt. Get off at the stop near the Three Swallows pub and the church is a short walk from the bus stop.
Key activities: Do a butterfly hunt and see how many you can see fluttering around or feeding on the wildflowers.
Old Wood and Pretty Corner Wood
Access: Accessible by car. A 10 minute drive from Holt. Potentially public transport but this does involve a 20 minute walk.
Who owns it: Old Wood -Woodland trust
Pretty Corner Woods –North Norfolk District council (jointly managed with the Woodland Trust)
What it’s famous for: A lovely mix of broadleaf and conifer woods and heathland, containing veteran trees such as oak, beech and sweet chestnut that date back hundreds of years.
The site is teeming with a variety of wildlife.
The wood’s highest point, at 96m (315 feet) above sea level, is one of the highest points in Norfolk, and has stunning views of the sea.
Opening times and cost: Free.
Facilities/visitor info: Free car parking at site. The nearest public toilets are in the centre of Sheringham.
Address and how to get there: OS Explorer 252, Landranger 133, TG159412. By car: approximately 10min drive from Holt out along the A148. Turn on to Pretty Corner Lane. The car park is on Pretty Corner, the south-west corner of the wood. By bus: Take the no.44 to Sheringham, then it is about a 20min walk from Sheringham.
Key activities: Enjoy a buggy-friendly stroll around the sculpture trail. It also has signposts which gives clues about what you can find close by. The complete walk takes around 1.5 hours. Climb to the wood’s highest point for spectacular views over the North Norfolk Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the sea.
Key species at this site:
Access: Accessible by car, a to minute drive from Holt.
Who owns it: Kelling Heath Holiday Park
What it’s famous for: The rare Silver-studded Blue butterfly can be seen here.
Great for these visitors: Kelling Heath is one of the Dark Sky Sites in Norfolk and is popular for astronomers. Families
Cost: Free
Facilities/visitor info:Kelling Heath Holiday Park comprises of a 300 acre estate made up of woodland, grassland and rare lowland heathland. The Kelling Heath Holiday Park is open to the public to walk around all year. There is also a wide expanse of public access heathland to the west of the Poppy Line that can also be accessed from the Holt to Weybourne road. There are shops, refreshments, toilets and information at the ‘village’ centre in the holiday park. Cycle hire. Dogs are allowed, kept on leads and dog waste bins are provided around the site. There is an Easy Access Trail around the site which is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
What to take: It is advisable to wear trousers, with stout shoes or boots as the gorse can be prickly. There are ticks, which can carry Lyme disease. Wear long trousers tucked into socks and check yourself and your children when back home. Adders are also found in the park: it is advisable to stick to the main paths and wear stout shoes.
Address and how to get there: NR25 7HW. By car: Kelling Heath is approx. 10 min drive from Holt out along Kelling Road. There is a parking area at off of Holgate Hill Road, on the left side of the road as one approaches from the Holt direction. It is also signed off the A148 between Holt and Cromer at Bodham. Postcode: NR25 7HW Map Ref: TG 118414
No bus service currently goes direct to park, Sheringham train station (two miles); Poppy Line stop Kelling Heath.
Key activities: Kelling Heath is an area of heathland, between Holt and Weybourne. There are lots of well signposted walks and trails through the heath and areas of woodland. The Kelling Heath Holiday Park have also designed a Free phone app that can be downloaded called Kelling Heath Explorer which is an interactive trail around the heath.
Key species at this site:
Access: Accessible by car (Just under a 10 min drive from Holt town centre)
Who owns it: Norfolk Wildlife Trust
What it’s famous for: The Heath is a rare patchwork of acid dry heath, dry acid grassland, dense gorse scrub and broad-leaved woodland.
The site offers spectacular views inland and out to sea, which are worth the visit alone.
Opening times and cost: Open dawn to dusk, free
Facilities/visitor info: none.
Address and how to get there: NR25 7EA Map reference: TG 073 424. By car: The site lies just to the south of Salthouse village. It is just under 10min drive from Holt, head out of Holt along the Cley Road then turn right onto the Holt Road. Postcode for satnav: NR25 7EA. There is no NWT car park. A network of minor roads separates the heath, and there are a number of small car parks located off these. Perhaps the most conveniently situated is Bard Hill car park, the entrance to which can be found just under 1km south on Bard Hill on the left hand side.
Key activities: The site offers spectacular views out over the surrounding landscape and sea.The heath also has the largest cluster of Bronze Age burial mounds in Norfolk.